Meh. Mostly historical old west. Calling this science fiction is like calling the story of the Titanic a documentary of an iceberg. And I found the story a bit disjointed at times, so I'd need to go back a few pages, assuming I must have missed something.

I won't be continuing on in the series. ( )

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Earthbound by Mari Collier is the first of the Maca books. Set in America's Old West, it is certainly not my typical fare, and I’ll admit to being more than a little sceptical at first. Even though I read fantasy, adore Star Trek, and write in an arcanepunk realm where the inhabitants would technically be aliens to us, I have a default setting that equates the word 'aliens’ with big eyed grey or green skinned beings who like to probe people and helped hapless ancient peoples with major engineering feats, because heaven help that they couldn't construct things like the pyramids on their own ingenuity. Okay….rant over, but I'm usually not a fan of anything that explicitly mentions 'aliens’. I should know better, I know! I rather enjoyed Earthbound.

Zebediah McDonald is trapped on earth during the days of America’s Old West. Well, earlier than that. He lived in Ireland for a time, where he was known as Llewellyn. From there, he ended up in Texas. Stranded on earth, as he is, Zedediah takes up with Herman Rolf. Together, the pair try their hands at many jobs, such as running traplines, working freight, and tending cattle, among other things. Zeb, (it amused me to call him that) rescues a lady named Anne who, along with her children, had been kidnapped by Comanches. Anne is far more than a simple settler woman though, and she harbours secrets that could affect Zeb.

Be forewarned, Earthbound is written in charming dialect. I prefer such, and usually find it easy to integrate in my mind. There are books with stronger dialect bents out there, for sure! Anything by the inestimable Brian Jacques for one. The biggest qualm, and suggestion, for me at least, was the sparsity of inner thoughts. I like to know what's going on behind the scenes of the main character(s).

🎻🎻🎻🎻 Recommended ( )

I’ve been wanting to read this series for awhile. I love westerns and sci-fi, so this was a combination I just couldn’t pass up.

We start off with an alien named Liewellyn, who’s been trapped on Earth during the frontier days. The first two chapters are more like backstory, which I found somewhat confusing, as we’re crammed full of info that wasn’t easy to process.

For me, the real story didn’t start until Chapter 3, when he changed his name to Zebediah L McDonald, and met Herman Rolfe. I really liked Herman’s character. He was tough, salty, and didn’t give a dang about anything. He took McDonald under his wing, and they became fast friends, earning a wage as trappers, freighters and eventually moving to Texas to buy land to raise cattle. These two had many adventures together, good and bad.

There are various sub-plots woven through the story, one of them revolves around Anna Louis Lawrence and her children. Kidnapped by Comanche’s, she’s rescued by McDonald. They eventually form a relationship, but I felt no fire or passion between them. We’re told how much Zeb felt for her, but, as a reader, I never felt it.

Anna is another character I liked, She’s tough, hard, and knows how to take care of herself. Her one fault, she can be a little narrow-sighted. As a Maca, Zeb will outlive Anna, so I’m curious to see how that will work out.

The other subplot revolves around Anna’s children, who disappeared at the same time she was kidnapped. Who is Jeremiah O’Neal, and what is his ulterior motive? Interesting questions indeed, but they don’t get answered in the first book.

Some reviewers complained about Collier writing with dialect during dialogue. She also uses it during some of the narration, but not consistently. Myself, I didn’t find it off-putting at all. Once my mind got used to the words, it added more dimension to the characters. I believe this is what she was trying to achieve.

My main complaint about this book was the disconnection from the characters, probably due to the lack of internal dialogue. We never really know how any of them feel, as they weren’t allowed to talk out their feeing’s. There were several traumatic events that I should’ve wept over, but I felt nothing, but words on the page. The book also needs some polishing in the editing department.

All-in-all, I like the story, and I want to find out what happens next. If you love Westerns, and sci-fi, I recommend this book. You will enjoy it. I give it 4 feathers. ( )